17 Again - Back to High School

This is another movie I watched with my friend who works at a movie theatre. With elements of Big and 13 Going on 30, not to mention It's a Wonderful Life and Back to the Future, 17 Again is a pretty enjoyable meshing of those movies considering the cast which has Zac Efron, Michelle Trachtenberg, Leslie Mann, Margaret Cho, Thomas Lennon, and Melora Hardin. I also recognized Matthew Perry and Nicole Sullivan. I did not realize until the cast credits that the bearded janitor at the high school was Brian Doyle-Murray, Bill's brother. Now, parts of the plot and characterizations were a little uneven but despite that there were plenty of scenes that were hilarious especially those between Lennon and Hardin. With them, I also saw a little "Big Bang Theory" vibe. Oh, and there's a little touching pro-abstinence speech here as well (though it still is acknowledged that not all teens will feel that way). All in all, despite some adult humor, 17 Again was an enjoyable comedy that should be enjoyable enough for parents and offspring alike. Oh, and one more thing: I thought the Vanilla Ice reference in the 1989 sequence didn't fit since I remember him not even emerging until the following year...

I went to see this with film with my teenage daughter and really wasn't expecting to enjoy it. I settled down in my seat for the duration and the first few scenes showing Efron as a high school basketball player had me groaning inwardly as I assumed that this was going to be another predictable high school/age swap film of the type that has been done so many times before - and really isn't the sort of film I would choose to see anyway. Not a promising start. However, I was pleasantly surprised by 17 Again. It was witty and well acted and made me laugh out loud - not something I often do even when I appreciate the humour in a film.

This film's appeal is also strengthened by the acting of the supporting characters as well as the main ones - Thomas Lennon's character was particularly well delivered. I found no fault with Zac Efron's acting in this and I enjoyed his performance in Hairspray but it would be interesting to see him in a serious grown up dramatic role.

Every teen generation needs a good body swap/turn the clock back type of story and 17 again is one of those stories, Mike O'Donnell had it all. He was the star of his high schools basket ball team. He had Scarlet the most beautiful girl in the school as his girlfriend. Right before the game that could make him into a star, Scarlet tells Mike she's pregnant, Mike makes a drastic and life altering decision and runs out of the game to be with her giving up his chances of becoming a basket ball star, now 20 years later Mike's regretting it all and wishes he could do it all over again, and by some miraculous way he does.

17 again is a cool and stylish what if movie, it brings to light the question of what if you could change your life, if you could live it all over again.What would you do different? That's the question this movie propose and tells with a grand lush style that resonates with the teen population and even with the adults too, 17 again is not just some teen movie, it's a movie that even adults between the ages of 30-50 would enjoy it, my dad sure did. But this film has it's flaws and some very minor bad dialogue from Zack Efron but nothing that would hamper this films style or production, but in my honest opinion this film was very good, this movie is not Oscar worthy but it's definitely worth the price of admission.

Mike O'Donnell (Zac Efron) was a teen basketball jock with all the potential in the world. When his girlfriend got pregnant, he abandons it all to marry her. Now they're adults, Mike (Matthew Perry) can't stop blaming all his problems on this decision. His wife Scarlet (Leslie Mann) divorces him. Then one night, a guardian angel sends Mike through a vortex and turns him back into a teen again. He decides to go back to high school to relive his high school years, but instead he reconnects with his family.

Thomas Lennon does his wacky best friend. It's basically 'Big' in reverse. The story isn't anything new or original. Zac Efron is quite funny as the fish out of water. He's surprisingly great as a compelling lead. It's his performance and his energy that drives this movie. The trick is that he's not playing a teen. He's playing mid-30s in a body of a teen.

As we've seen many movies like this before: Big, 13 Going on 30, and Freaky Friday, we always love to see the retelling of the old classic story of the switching age. Since the story has been used so much, a director can only do so much to just do the best they can with, Burr Steers pulls 17 Again out with great laughs and good fun. I'm going to get this out, I am one of the rare girls that just doesn't get the whole Zac Efron heart throb thing, I agree that he's cute, but with mainly High School Musical only being his claim to fame other than Hairspray, he is adorable, but can he act? Surprisingly… he can. I can't believe I'm saying this, he was actually a good strong lead role and a perfect fit, he has charisma, he's funny, charming and makes this story worth your time and money.

In 1989, Michael O'Donnell was a star athlete with a full college scholarship imminent. He seemingly had it all, when, right before the championship game, his girlfriend Scarlett informed him she was pregnant. In that moment, he made the decision to throw everything away and proposed to her. Twenty years later, Mike's life isn't exactly what he expected it to be. Scarlett wants a divorce from him, forcing him to move in with his geeky millionaire best friend Ned, his job is going nowhere, and his kids Maggie and Alex want nothing to do with him. While paying a visit to Hayden High School to reminisce about the life he threw away, he encounters a strange beardy janitor, who I still swear is Bob Haskins. On the way home, is magically transformed back into his 17-year old self. With Ned posing as his father, he re-enrolls in high school, believing he has been given the chance to have his life over again, "but to do it right". However, he then discovers that his daughter is dating the basketball captain Stan, who is bullying his son. He realizes that his real mission is to help his children as well as finding out that maybe his decision wasn't the worst he ever made in his life.

We go a little Back to the Future-esquire when we get on the creepy level of Michelle Trachtenberg having a crush on Zac Efron who is her father, just that she can't recognize him, it's understanding, but still makes you squirm, but the director and actors pulled the scene off pretty well with getting out of that yucky situation. There is one continuity error: if Mike and his girl got pregnant at the age of 17... 20 years later, yet both their kids are still in high school, the oldest child would only be a maximum of 18. A plot hole: seriously, besides the wife, no one at all recognizes Mike? But I'm over thinking the movie too much at this point, it's just a fun movie with decent performances, I just need to let go of silly mistakes. So I would recommend this movie if you get the chance to see it, but I'd say more of a matinée vs. a full price ticket, it has some good laughs and was a great update of the "What if you could go back?" story.

7/10